Online Recruitment Brochure
For Parents
A Letter From Our Director
Dear Prospective Band Parents,
The University of California Marching Band has a long, proud history that dates back to 1891. From a group of eighteen players, the Cal Band now boasts a membership of nearly 200 and is a fixture at Cal athletic events and many campus and community activities. Membership in the Band helps to make a place like Cal (with its 30,000-plus students) a little more personal and the friendships that are forged last a lifetime.
The Cal Band is an extracurricular activity and members receive no academic credit. The time commitment ranges from a minimum of six hours per week to a maximum of eighteen hours per week. There are six Band officers (including myself) that manage all aspects of the organization.
Here are some Band statistics that answer the most commonly asked questions: membership is a little more than half male and just under half female; nearly half are "hard science" majors and less than five percent are music majors; about half of each incoming class (usually 80) stay in Band for four years; most of our members are able to balance academic demands and Band membership and graduate on time and lastly, we have a scholarship program in place for recruitment and retention based on "talent, financial need and commitment to leadership and service."
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to call me at (510) 643-9644 or email me at calonico@calband.berkeley.edu.
Sincerely,
Robert Calonico
Director - University of California Marching Band
Cal Band Alumnus 1976
Academics
From performances to academics, the Cal Band offers a wide variety of opportunities to its members. Since the public at large is thrilled by the Cal Band's field shows, Straw Hat Band performances, and variety shows, it is often easy to forget why our members are here: education. However, the Cal Band offers a variety of academic support opportunities. Academic advisors, study groups, review sessions, peer course evaluations, and quiet study halls are just a few of the services we offer our members. Additionally, there is a great amount of peer support among our members. Current bandsmen's areas of study range from Chemical Engineering to Rhetoric. 55% of the Band is comprised of "hard science/engineering" majors. Because of both the number of people in the Cal Band and their variety of interests, members often have classes together. Thus, even if the Band doesn't offer a study group or review session for a particular class, students are easily able to find study partners before midterms, papers or finals. A large percentage of our members continue on to graduate study, including medical school, law school, and other graduate programs across the country.
In short, though maintaining the high performance quality of the Band is a time-consuming activity, our members' academic standards are encouraged and aided wherever possible. For more information on how we help our members to succeed at Cal, email our academic advisors at calband-acad@lists.berkeley.edu.
